Could your organization gather a complete and reliable set of product data for every item in your portfolio within just a few hours? For manufacturers and distributors managing thousands – or even hundreds of thousands – of SKUs, that is where the Digital Product Passport (DPP) journey truly begins.
The data required for DPP is often scattered across ERP, PLM, PIM, CMS, DAM, supplier systems, and Excel spreadsheets. The larger the product portfolio, the more difficult it becomes to keep that information consistent, complete, and up to date. Bringing it together into a single, trusted data model requires the right system architecture, clearly defined processes, and designated data owners responsible for maintaining data quality.
In many organizations, PIM serves as the central hub for managing product information, bringing together data from multiple sources and preparing it for publication – including as part of the Digital Product Passport. We have already covered the fundamentals of the ESPR regulation in the context of the furniture industry. In this article, we focus on the IT architecture required to support DPP and the business value of implementing a PIM system.
In this article, you will learn:
- why it is worth starting preparations for the Digital Product Passport now,
- how product data and PIM support DPP readiness,
- how the DPP rollout is expected to progress across the European Union,
- how to assess your organization’s readiness for the new requirements,
- which actions to prioritize over the coming months.
1. Why should you start preparing for DPP now?
The ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation) has applied since 18 July 2024. The EU Digital Product Passport (DPP) is one of its key components and will be introduced gradually across selected product groups. For manufacturers and distributors, this means there is limited time to organize product data and prepare their organizations for the new requirements.
The biggest challenge lies in product data. In many organizations, it is spread across ERP, PLM, CMS, DAM, Excel spreadsheets, and technical documentation. Bringing this information together into a consistent, trusted data model requires clear ownership, structured governance, and, in many cases, a PIM system as the central platform for managing product information.
For decision-makers, timing is critical. Building the data model, integrating ERP, and establishing the necessary processes typically takes months. Starting early reduces the risk of costly last-minute changes and improves the quality of data used by sales, marketing, and e-commerce teams.
„In DPP workshops, most of the discussion usually revolves around identifying the right data sources, assigning ownership, and defining how product information should be updated when a product or one of its components changes. Technology delivers value only when an organization knows which data is authoritative and who is responsible for maintaining its quality.” - Mikołaj Bekta, Business Analyst, Tandemite
2. How will the Digital Product Passport be introduced?
The ESPR has been in force since 2024 and provides the legal framework for the Digital Product Passport across the European Union. The requirements will be introduced gradually rather than applied to all products at the same time. The European Commission will define them for individual product groups through delegated acts.
2.1 Indicative timeline for the Digital Product Passport rollout (2026–2029)
| Year | Planned product groups |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Iron and steel |
| 2027 | Textiles and apparel, tyres, aluminium, and reparability requirements for selected consumer electronics |
| 2028 | Furniture |
| 2029 | Mattresses, plus recycled content and recyclability requirements for selected electronics |
The European Commission emphasises that this timeline is indicative, so individual industries may become subject to the new requirements at different times.
2.2 What information will the Digital Product Passport contain?
The scope of the data will vary by product category, but the Digital Product Passport is expected to include information such as:
- material composition and origin,
- compliance with regulatory requirements,
- technical specifications and product performance,
- repair and maintenance information,
- recycling and end-of-life data,
- user and safety instructions.
In practice, the DPP will provide different levels of access depending on the role and needs of each audience, including consumers, business partners, market surveillance authorities, and recycling companies.
2.3 Digital Product Passport architecture
From a technical perspective, the Digital Product Passport will be built around several core components:
- a unique product identifier,
- a data carrier, such as a QR code,
- the EU DPP registry,
- APIs for data exchange,
- security and access-control mechanisms,
- data storage systems managed by manufacturers or service providers.
The European Commission plans to launch the central Digital Product Passport registry by 19 July 2026.
Batteries are the first practical example of Digital Product Passport implementation. Under the EU Battery Regulation, the Battery Passport will become mandatory from February 2027. As a result, many manufacturers are already preparing the product data, system architecture, and processes required to support it.
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3. Why is PIM essential for the Digital Product Passport?
PIM organizes, enriches, validates, and distributes product data, making it a key foundation for Digital Product Passport readiness in many organizations. Information from ERP, supplier systems, DAM, CMS, and e-commerce platforms can be standardized in PIM and prepared for publication across multiple channels. This allows data already used by sales, marketing, and e-commerce teams to support the Digital Product Passport as well, without creating separate processes for each initiative. This role is also reflected in how PIM platforms such as Akeneo, Stibo Systems, and inriver position their platforms.
Preparing for DPP requires a clear division of responsibilities between systems. ERP manages operational and transactional data, including purchasing, pricing, logistics, and inventory. PIM manages the information that needs to be enriched, verified, and published as product descriptions, technical specifications, marketing content, or data required for the Digital Product Passport. This ensures that each system supports the area it was designed to handle.
To support DPP readiness, the system should enable:
- centralized management of product data and relationships,
- data quality and completeness controls,
- version management and approval workflows,
- links between product data, documentation, images, and certificates,
- publication of different data sets for different audiences,
- integration with ERP, PLM, DAM, CMS, and sales channels.
A DPP-ready architecture typically looks like this:
| System | Primary role |
|---|---|
| ERP | Operational data, pricing, and inventory management |
| PLM | Product design, engineering data, and bill of materials (BOM) |
| PIM | Centralized product information management |
| DAM | Documentation, images, and certificates |
| CMS / e-commerce | Publishing product content and information |
| DPP | Providing product data to stakeholders in line with regulatory requirements |
This approach allows each system to focus on the functions it was designed to perform. PIM acts as the central hub for product information, bringing together data from across the organization and preparing it for publication across multiple channels, including the Digital Product Passport.
4. How are companies preparing for DPP?
Preparations for the Digital Product Passport are already underway. Some companies are focusing on improving product data, while others are developing passport management platforms or modernizing their PIM architecture. What they have in common is that most of these initiatives began long before the new regulatory requirements were due to take effect.
- Volvo Cars introduced a Battery Passport for the EX90, covering raw material provenance, carbon footprint, and recycled content. The project has been in development since 2019, showing that DPP readiness is built over years rather than weeks.
- Bosch already offers a cloud-based digital battery passport that combines static product information with telemetry data, with a strong focus on compliance with the EU Battery Regulation and access-rights management.
- H&M Group has publicly highlighted the potential of DPP to improve efficiency, reduce operating costs, and provide a better understanding of products across different stages of their lifecycle.
- After modernizing its product data foundation with Akeneo, Steelcase reduced supplier data loading time by 62% and cut the time required to prepare product launches by more than 63%. This shows that improving product data can deliver measurable business value even before DPP becomes mandatory for a given product category.
- Schneider Electric approached PIM and MDM modernization as a long-term enterprise investment designed to support product data publishing across a broad network of partners and scale complex product relationships.
5. How to budget for DPP and PIM
A DPP programme budget should cover much more than the cost of a software licence. The greatest effort usually goes into improving product data, defining the information model, integrating systems, and adapting the way teams work with product information.
The main areas to include in the budget are:
- cleaning, completing, and structuring product data,
- integrating PIM with ERP, PLM, DAM, CMS, and e-commerce platforms,
- designing the data model and approval workflows,
- assigning responsibility for product data quality,
- selecting and configuring the platform.
The key takeaway is simple: the scale of a DPP programme is usually determined by data, integrations, and processes rather than by the licence itself.
6. Business benefits of DPP
Preparing for DPP supports regulatory readiness while also delivering broader operational benefits. Well-structured product data shortens publishing cycles, improves information quality, simplifies collaboration with partners, and reduces errors caused by manual data management.
For many organizations, implementing PIM as part of DPP preparation becomes a catalyst for improving the entire product information ecosystem.
7. Is your organization ready for DPP?
The checklist below will help you quickly assess your organization’s readiness for the Digital Product Passport and identify the areas that should be addressed first.
| Yes / No | |
|---|---|
| We have a designated owner for product data. | ✅ / ❌ |
| We know where our product data comes from. | ✅ / ❌ |
| Product data is consistent across ERP, PLM, CMS, and e-commerce systems. | ✅ / ❌ |
| We know which products are likely to be affected by the new regulations. | ✅ / ❌ |
| We have a defined process for updating product data. | ✅ / ❌ |
| We can provide different data sets to different audiences. | ✅ / ❌ |
| We have a clear DPP preparation plan. | ✅ / ❌ |
If most of the answers are “No”, the best next step is to launch a product data readiness programme before moving on to the full implementation of the Digital Product Passport.
8. Sample DPP implementation roadmap
The roadmap below combines the current EU regulatory timeline with a practical approach to improving product data, processes, and systems. Its purpose is to build DPP readiness step by step while also improving data quality, team workflows, and the publication of product information across existing sales channels.
| Timeframe | Stage objective | Key activities |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 months | Establish ownership and direction | Assign a project owner, build the business case, review the product portfolio, assess regulatory risk, map systems and data sources |
| 3–6 months | Assess product data readiness | Complete a data inventory, assign information owners, identify gaps, select a pilot category, define the initial architecture |
| 6–12 months | Build the foundation | Select a PIM platform, design the data model, define data quality rules, set up validation, launch a pilot for one product group, integrate ERP, PLM, and DAM |
| 12–18 months | Establish operational processes | Onboard supplier data, link digital assets to products, implement publishing workflows, define access roles, introduce data quality KPIs |
| 18–24 months | Scale across the organization | Extend the solution to additional product lines, channels, markets, and audience groups |
| 24–36 months | Achieve DPP readiness at scale | Integrate with the DPP registry or related services, audit data, automate updates, and monitor data quality |
8.1 How can you tell If your organization is ready for DPP?
Digital Product Passport readiness is best assessed through data quality, clear ownership of product information, and process maturity. These areas show whether the organization has the foundations needed to implement DPP effectively.
| Measurement area | What to measure |
|---|---|
| Data completeness | percentage of products with all required attributes completed |
| Data ownership | percentage of SKUs with an assigned information owner |
| Supplier onboarding | time required to collect and approve supplier data |
| Document linkage | percentage of products linked to certificates, instructions, and digital assets |
| Publishing quality | number of errors identified when publishing data to sales channels |
| Workflow coverage | percentage of product changes managed through a formal approval process |
| Auditability | availability of a complete product data change history |
8.2 Start your DPP journey with a product data assessment
The first step is assessing the quality of your product data, the architecture of your systems, and the readiness of your processes for Digital Product Passport requirements. This assessment helps determine whether your organization primarily needs better data governance, a PIM implementation, ERP and DAM integrations, or a broader modernization of its product data architecture.
If you would like to assess your organization’s DPP readiness, the Tandemite team can help. We will evaluate your current product data landscape, identify the key areas for improvement, and develop a practical roadmap for your Digital Product Passport preparation.
FAQ
Which industries will be affected first by the Digital Product Passport?
According to the European Commission’s first working plan, priority is being given to product groups with a high environmental impact and strong potential for the circular economy. The first categories include iron and steel, textiles and apparel, tyres, aluminium, furniture, and mattresses. Additional requirements are also being developed for the reparability of selected electronic products, as well as recycled content and recyclability.
Batteries follow a separate regulatory pathway. The Battery Passport will become mandatory from February 2027, making DPP preparation a priority for companies operating in electromobility, energy storage, and battery manufacturing.
Will every company have to implement the Digital Product Passport?
The requirements will be introduced gradually for different product groups through delegated acts under the ESPR. Starting preparations early is recommended, as organizing product data, processes, and systems typically takes much longer than implementing the technology itself.
When will the Digital Product Passport become mandatory?
The Digital Product Passport will be introduced gradually across different product groups. While the ESPR entered into force on 18 July 2024, the detailed implementation timeline for individual industries will be defined through delegated acts issued by the European Commission. Under the current roadmap, the first requirements are expected to apply between 2026 and 2029, making early preparation a clear advantage.
Will GS1 standards be used in the Digital Product Passport?
GS1 standards are widely recognized as one of the technologies that can support product identification within the Digital Product Passport ecosystem. They may be used to uniquely identify products and link them to the information made available through the DPP. The exact implementation, however, will depend on the requirements for individual product groups and the chosen system architecture.
Is ERP enough to support the Digital Product Passport?
ERP remains the primary source of operational and transactional data. However, the information required for DPP often needs to be enriched, validated, version-controlled, and published across multiple channels. That is why many organizations use PIM as the central platform for managing product information.
Does every company need a PIM system?
It depends on the scale of the business and the complexity of its product data. Organizations with large product portfolios, multiple sales channels, or several data sources often rely on PIM as the foundation of their DPP preparation. Smaller businesses with simpler product information structures may not require a dedicated PIM platform.
What are the most common mistakes companies make when preparing for the Digital Product Passport?
Most issues arise long before technology selection. Companies often focus on QR codes or the passport itself instead of improving product data and the processes used to manage it. Other common mistakes include postponing the project until all delegated acts have been published, assuming that ERP alone is sufficient, failing to assign ownership of product data, or attempting to implement DPP across the entire product portfolio at once instead of starting with a pilot.
How long does it take to prepare for the Digital Product Passport?
Preparation time depends on the complexity of the organization and the quality of its product data. Initial activities, such as data assessment, architecture design, and a PIM pilot, can begin within a few months. A comprehensive programme covering product data, integrations, and operational processes often takes from a dozen to several dozen months.
How much does it cost to prepare for DPP?
The overall cost depends on product data quality, the number of system integrations, organizational complexity, and the scope of process changes. In practice, the largest investments are usually associated with improving product data, integrating systems, and preparing the organization to work with consistent product information.
Where should companies start their DPP preparation?
The best starting point is an assessment of product data quality, data sources, and ownership. Once these areas have been evaluated, organizations can define their target architecture, decide whether a PIM system is required, and build a roadmap for Digital Product Passport readiness.
Can companies start preparing for DPP before all delegated acts have been published?
Yes. Most of the work required for DPP has little to do with the final wording of the delegated acts. Organizations can already improve product data, define data ownership, design the data model, integrate systems, and implement PIM. These activities typically require the most time, making early preparation the safest and most cost-effective approach.
